Lindork’s List #101 – Ice on Whyte, Rainbow Igloos, Dill Pickle Soup, and more!
Newsletter for Jan 26 – 31, 2022
Note: this is the public version of my weekly email newsletter that gets sent to subscriber inboxes first each Wednesday. Get the full newsletter first by becoming a free subscriber.
Things to Do This Week
COVID-19 cases are at an all-time high. If you can, limit how much you’re out and about, or choose outdoor, physically distant activities to do. If attending events, please check to see what their COVID-19 safety requirements or changes are. Get vaccinated (and boosted), mask up, stay home if sick, keep a distance from others, and be safe out there!
Check out Ice on Whyte (Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park 8331 104 St.)
Edmonton’s Winter Ice Carving Competition Ice on Whyte returns starting this week Jan. 27 and runs until Feb. 6. Visit the ice sculpture garden and check out carving demonstrations, ice art, sign up for a food tour, and more!
Snap a photo at Edmonton’s rainbow igloo (14508 86 Ave.)
An Edmonton man has built an incredible, rainbow-coloured igloo in west Edmonton. Neighbours called it a ‘labour of love’ which sparked an idea for him to camp out in the igloo to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. He’s in there until Sunday (you can donate here), but the igloo will be around all season and you’re encouraged to stop by for photos!
Take advantage of FREE Admission Day at the Art Gallery of Alberta
Did you know: The Art Gallery of Alberta offers free admission on every last Thursday of each month from 4-7 p.m.? This month’s Free Admission Day is Thursday, Jan 27. Check out current exhibitions.
Catch Jason Kenney’s Hot Boy Summer Musical (10045 156 St.)
Mike had expressed an interest in seeing The Grindstone Theatre’s: Jason Kenney’s Hot Boy Summer Musical so I bought us tickets to a recent show (it’s been so popular they’ve extended it from summer to now LOL) and it was a LOT of fun. Great show and there’s still tickets left for Wed and Thurs Jan 26. & 27 shows. I’m not sure if they’re adding anymore new dates after this so if you’re even slightly interested, grab tickets! They’re in a bigger venue with less capacity and you mask up.
Get DIY inspiration at the Edmonton Renovation Show (EXPO Centre)
I’ve partnered with the Edmonton Renovation Show official house plant sponsor Plantsome for a newsletter giveaway (more on that below) but i you are thinking of updates to your home this year, the Reno Show runs Jan. 28-30 with local and national experts + over 100 exhibitors.
Got an Edmonton area event, virtual event, or something coming up you think my readers would be interested in knowing about? Let me know!
Food to Try This Week
Consider take-out to continue safely supporting local restaurants. If dining in, make sure you have proof of vaccination for Alberta’s Restrictions Exemption Program. Please review current pandemic restrictions, don’t go out if sick and stay safe!
Celebrate the opening of AYCO Cafe (10551 Jasper Ave.)
Dig into Dill Pickle Soup and other European eats at Continental Treat
We celebrated a friend’s birthday at Continental Treat Gluten Free Fine Bistro this week and it was a delicious dinner. The restaurant is known for their dill pickle soup (it’s SO good), and I also really enjoyed my stroganoff and varied gluten-free menu options including GF perogies! They recently added a new Jasper Ave. location (9698 Jasper Ave.) The original Continental Treat is on Whyte Ave.
Grab some local Lunar New Year treats (various locations)
I shared a few Edmonton businesses doing Lunar New Year-themed treats this year on Facebook you could consider ordering from, including Yelo’d Ice Cream & Bake Shoppe (special ice cream flavours, cookie box, etc.) and Chocorrant (special croissant and cream puff flavours), and Thousand & One Mille Crepe Cakes (custom Lunar New Year box). I have my orders in for all three! (Mille crepes are gifted).
Order Honest Dumplings from the Uproot Collective (online)
I recently saw that Honest Dumplings had lowered their prices due to reaching a milestone with their bigger company Uproot Collective that gives them better margins for products—so they’re passing on those savings to customers! Pretty neat. Consider trying their dumplings. (Note: it’s not BAD if other places are increasing their prices—these are current realities as everything is more expensive now and I don’t fault any business for having to increase prices right now).
Book a Northern Lights Dining Experience at the Botanic Garden
In response to much demand, the University of Alberta Botanic Garden has extended its sold out Northern Light Dining Experience to run Jan. 27 through to Mar 13. It’s a three-course fondue meal served in a private dining dome at the garden. A lot of their final dates in Dec/Jan ended up getting cancelled due to extreme weather so it’s nice to see they’ve added more dates!
Ate something amazing recently? Want to show some love to a struggling restaurant? Have a take-out suggestion? Let me know to include in this newsletter.
100th Giveaway Promo Codes!
I want to thank everyone so much for reading the 100th email newsletter last week, entering for the giveaway pries, AND sharing some truly lovely “testimonials” / reasons you like getting my newsletter (as well as those who were honest and admitted they were new to the newsletter! lol). Many of the reasons shared about why you like this newsletter is exactly how I hoped people would like about the newsletter so I’m so happy to see that it’s hitting what I intended it to do—and some other surprising ways this newsletter has helped subscribers. Thanks for sharing!!
As well, there are many more exclusive newsletter giveaways to come!!
(If you are reading this on my blog, you missed out! Don’t miss out next time ;))
These promo codes were shared with my newsletter subscribers first but now that the 100th giveaway is over, I’m sharing the promos for blog readers too! Save + support local by using one (or some) of the promos below:
Get a FREE dozen Oreo or Salted Caramel Macarons with the purchase of a 6″ inch cake from Annie’s Cakes using code LINDORK. Promo ends Feb. 17.
Get 15% off at Majesty and Friends using code LINDORK. Promo ends Feb. 17.
Get a FREE Salted Caramel pack with any purchase from Caramunchies using code LINDORKMUNCHIES. Promo ends Feb. 28. (it will add a $0.01 discount to your order and then she’ll throw in the extra pack!)
Get 20% off a Charcuterie Subscription Box from Meuwlys using code LINDORK20. (Discount works for one box order too!) Promo ends Feb. 28.
Get 25% off at Oli + Fetch using code LINDORK. Promo ends Feb. 28.
Get 10% off a Black-Owned Market Sweetheart Box using code LINDORK. Order by Jan. 25. The first 24 boxes sold include surprise bonus items from more Black-owned brands which are randomly distributed throughout the box.
Get 20% off BOMYEG Mocktail Kit with code LINDORK. Promo ends Feb. 17.
In this week’s newsletter, subscribers got a chance to enter to win $75 to buy PLANTS!!
The Edmonton Renovation Show is this weekend (Jan 28-30) and I was excited to partner with their official house plant sponsor Plantsome, a plant company dedicated to making finding, buying and caring for houseplants easy, for a newsletter giveaway.
I have fake plants because I’ve always been nervous about whether real plants would be safe for all of my animals. The real ones also always seem to die on me. So one of my favourite things about Plantsome is how they list a bunch of categories for their plants including whether it’s non-toxic (that’s what the cat icon means!), how big your pots should be, how often you should water it, etc. Super simple but so handy!! (#Plantsome_Partner)
Small Business Spotlight
Okay—technically not a small business—but the MacEwan Climbing Club reached out to ask if I could highlight their fundraising efforts. The club offers climbing trips, courses, workshops and social events for those who want to get outside and explore the mountains (and you don’t have to be a student!) They’re doing a bottle drive on until Jan. 31 and are taking donations for their fundraising campaign here, if you’re interested or able to support them. If you’ve never tried ice climbing and don’t have friends who have gone and can take you (I’m very fortunate I do lol), groups like this Climbing Club can be a great resource to safely learn new skills / try new adventures.
Watch Episode 19 of Lindork Does Life
Episode 19 of my new YouTube video series #LindorkDoesLife is out!
In this episode, I try the new SNOW TUBE PARK at Rabbit Hill Snow Resort in south Edmonton—and it was ‘SNOW’ much fun. Check it out:
Now Public: Q&A with Josephine Wu
Check out my Q&A with Team Canada Olympic Badminton Player Josephine Wu in the public version of my Lindork’s Lists: Q&A series.
If you’d like to become a paid subscriber to this newsletter to receive exclusive Q&As first in your inbox every other Sunday and support the work I do, upgrade below:
New On The Blog
Did you know: you can dog sled in northern Alberta? I definitely didn’t, until I worked with Travel Alberta and Chad K Productions on a new adventure video showcasing dog sledding in northern Alberta near Grande Prairie! Watch the video and read my blog for more information on Elevation Sled Dog Adventures.
From the Blog Vault
I am working on a new Lunar New Year blog post this week, but also around this time last year I blogged about a Lunar New Year topic themed around Food, Games, and Traditions for how Vietnamese families might ring in the new year. Check it out!
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Free subscribers to my weekly newsletter Lindork’s Lists receive the full, hyperlocal newsletter first in their inbox every Wednesday—before anyone else! You can also become a paid subscribers to receive access to more musings and stories written by me—or simply subscribe to support my work, especially if you’ve been following me for awhile and are so inclined :)
Learn more about Lindork’s Lists (and become a free or paid subscriber!)
The full Lindork’s Lists includes:
- Things to Do This Week
- Food to Try This Week
- Walls of the Week
- Interesting Thing on the Internet
- Social Media Did You Knows
- Exclusive Promo Codes / Discounts
- Exclusive Newsletter Subscriber-only Giveaways
- Newsletter Subscriber-only Access to Events
Paid subscribers also receive access to musings, stories, an exclusive Q&A every other Sunday, giveaways and more content (forthcoming lol). Becoming a paid subscriber also supports the content I share overall.
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